Free Republic

President Joe Biden joked at the Gridiron Dinner this past weekend about former President Donald Trump’s struggle to pay nearly half a billion dollars in fines resulting from a controversial civil fraud judgement against him in New York. New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) — who ran for office specifically promising to use the law to pursue Trump for unspecified sins — declared that “everyone must play by the same rules,” though the Trump case was unprecedented. Trump was sued for allegedly inflating his net worth under a New York law that does not require the state to show...

Former Trump White House adviser Peter Navarro must report to prison on Tuesday as scheduled, after the Supreme Court on Monday denied the stay of his sentence. Chief Justice John Roberts, in a short opinion, wrote that he saw "no reason to disagree" with lower courts, which also rejected Navarro's request. Navarro's appeal on the merits remains pending, but he will have to begin serving his sentence in the meantime. Navarro was ordered on March 11 to report to prison in Miami on Tuesday, to serve a four-month sentence. He was convicted in September of two counts of contempt of...

Members of the New York Fire Department (FDNY) who are fed-up with Trump-hating fascist attorney general Letitia James during a recent promotion ceremony are now facing severe consequences. The Gateway Pundit first reported the incident wherein a wave of boos and chants supporting President Trump overshadowed the event. A large group of firefighters made their stance perfectly clear during Thursday’s New York Fire Department (FDNY) promotion ceremony regarding James’s inquisition of President Trump. After honoring FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, James’s speech was effectively drowned out by LOUD pro-Trump chants in the crowd. She struggles a bit to find her words...

Fox News is rejecting pressure from the White House to retract stories about alleged Biden family corruption in the aftermath of the FBI’s arrest of a former informant. In a letter from Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House, the regime demanded that the conservative news network take down its reporting about Alexander Smirnov’s allegations that then-Vice President Joe Biden was involved in a foreign bribery scheme with Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings which employed his son Hunter in a highly paid position despite his lack of industry experience. Smirnov, the source identified in the FD-1023 document that has...

UPDATE: 1:56 p.m. ET: Baker has been released: UPDATE: 1:16 p.m. ET: Investigative journalist Lara Logan had the following to say about Baker's treatment Friday: UPDATE: 1:05 p.m. ET: What happened to Baker got the attention of Donald Trump, Jr. as well: UPDATE: 12:51 p.m. ET: Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy weighed in on Baker's arrest and the state of freedom of the press: UPDATE: 12:37 p.m. ET: BlazeTV contributor Jill Savage noted that she exited the courtroom with Baker who "was able to wear his dress clothes but had shackles on his wrists and ankles. He is expected...

Baker — who for years has been searching for the truth about Jan. 6, 2021, and believes the U.S. government has been targeting him for it — on Friday was charged with four misdemeanors related to his Jan. 6 coverage at the U.S. Capitol after turning himself in to the FBI in Dallas. But first he was handcuffed and perp-walked: The charges are: Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds Disorderly conduct in a capitol building Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a capitol building...

The Blaze journalist Steve Baker cuffed and taken into FBI custody allegedly for his reporting on J6. Baker previously said he didn’t know what the charges were against him but was told they were non-violent misdemeanors

An Illinois state judge has kicked former President Donald Trump off the Illinois' Republican presidential primary ballot due to his alleged role in the January 6 Capitol riots. Cook County Circuit Judge Tracie Porter ruled in favor of Illinois voters who argued Trump should be disqualified from the state's mid-March primary ballot, as well as the November 5 general election ballot. ... The legal arguments to ban him from the ballot largely revolve around a novel application of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution that depends significantly upon whether or not the January 6 riots can be defined as...

Nearly three years after the January 6, 2021 fedsurrection, Blaze reporter Steve Baker reported in December that he will be charged for his actions that day reporting live on the event. Steve wrote in October 2023 that he was under investigation for the past two years by Chris Wray’s FBI for reporting at the historic protests in Washington DC. Steve Baker detailed his experiences that day in an earlier report. Then, in February 2021, he began questioning the role others may have played in the protests and rioting that day. This was clearly off limits. ..... Snip..... Steve Baker announced...

Earlier this month, special counsel David Weiss filed charges against former longtime FBI informant Alexander Smirnov, who was the confidential human source (CHS) who reported that Joe Biden received bribes from the Ukrainian oil and gas company Burisma. Those allegations were first documented on the infamous FD-1023 form in 2020 but went uninvestigated for three years. It was only reviewed after Sen. Charles Grassley released it publicly and Hunter Biden's plea deal fell apart. I was immediately suspicious of the indictment. For one thing, the Biden administration had fought to keep the FD-1023 from being released — an action that...

Was the $355 million fine against Donald Trump, for a “crime” that even the judge issuing the ruling admitted hurt no one, a bridge too far? New York Gov. Kathy Hochul seems to think so, which is why she rushed out to say that other people doing business in New York have nothing to fear: “Law-abiding and rule-following New Yorkers who are businesspeople have nothing to worry about because they’re very different than Donald Trump and his behavior.” What she should have said is: “if they are different from Donald Trump and his political views.” Because nothing about this case,...

Alexander Smirnov, the former FBI informant indicted for lying about President Joe Biden’s family and their alleged dealings in Ukraine, has been re-arrested in Nevada. Though prosecutors fought to keep him behind bars, Smirnov was released by Magistrate Judge Daniel Albregts in Nevada on Tuesday with several conditions, including GPS monitoring and the surrender of his two passports. Prosecutors asked the Nevada judge to delay his release, but the judge declined and Smirnov was allowed to walk out. Now, Smirnov’s defense lawyers say their client was re-arrested Thursday on a new warrant for the exact same charges – this time...

A federal judge on Wednesday found that the “selective prosecution” of far-right groups without charging their far-left counterparts for the same acts is “constitutionally impermissible.” U.S. District Court Judge Cormac Carney of southern California therefore dismissed charges against two men from the “white nationalist” Rise Above Movement (RAM) who violently clashed with members of the far-left group Antifa at three southern California pro-Trump events in 2017. In his 35-page order, the judge stressed the importance of equal protection under the law. He said that although the two men may have been involved in violent acts, prosecutors were wrong to exclusively...

Here we go again. The Democrats have dusted off their old Russia collusion hoax as we get deeper into election season. Democrat Rep. Dan Goldman absurdly claimed the Russians are interfering in the 2024 election in wake of the DOJ’s latest attack on the FBI informant who blew the whistle on the Biden-Burisma scandal. Biden’s DOJ is now alleging the FBI informant arrested last week “is actively peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections after meeting with Russian intelligence officials in November.” The FBI’s confidential source, Alexander Smirnov, was indicted last week by Hunter Biden Special Counsel David Weiss...

A federal judge in Las Vegas on Tuesday ordered the release of an FBI informant charged with lying to officials about an alleged multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden, his son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company.Alexander Smirnov, 43, who was arrested last week at Harry Reid International Airport, will remain under electronic monitoring while he awaits a hearing in California federal court on an indictment charging him with making a false statement to federal agents and creating a false and fictitious record.In ordering Smirnov’s release, U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Albregts told him: “Do not make a mockery of...

Oscar Wilde wrote that “moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.” Justice Arthur Engoron took that line to heart with his absurd imposition of $455 million in fines and interest against Donald Trump and his corporation. ... Engoron then combined that unprecedented application with an equally extraordinary penalty, which is greater than the gross national product of some countries. He disgorged hundreds of millions in a case where not one dollar was lost by anyone. Indeed, the “victims” wanted to get more business from Trump and are now being prevented from doing so by Engoron. ... Nothing succeeds...

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has admitted the lawfare deployed against the Trump organization and President Donald Trump himself was a specific plan for his targeting and any other business interests or people within New York should not be concerned. It’s a rather brazen admission all things considered; however, if it changes the public outlook as the various New York lawfare cases against President Trump continue, is yet to be determined. (Via The Hill) – New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) addressed New York business owners in a new interview and told them there was “nothing to worry about” after...

The essence of the case, the Manhattan D.A. says, is that Trump "corrupt[ed] a presidential election" by concealing embarrassing information.When Donald Trump's lawyers urged a federal appeals court to approve "absolute" presidential immunity last month, they argued that it was necessary to prevent frivolous, politically motivated criminal charges against former presidents. Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit unanimously rejected that argument, along with the other reasons Trump offered for shielding him from prosecution for trying to reverse the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. The three-judge panel said the danger Trump perceived "appears slight" given...

Legal experts analyzed what they called "breathtaking" civil penalties against former President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, former Trump Organization Comptroller Jeffrey McConney and ex-CFO Allen Weisselberg – warning other corporations based in the Empire State may realize they could suddenly be put out of business by the state on a political whim. New York Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron found Trump liable for more than $350 million in damages in the fraud suit brought against him and his company by New York State Democratic District Attorney Letitia James. Trump Sr., the Trump Revocable Trust and Trump Organization...

MESSAGE FROM TRUMP:DEMOCRAT NEW YORK JUDGE JUST RULED AGAINST ME! FIRST, they raided my home, arrested me, and took my mugshot.THEN they had me illegally REMOVED from the ballot IN TWO STATES.NOW, a Democrat judge ruled against me in New York.UNDENIABLE ELECTION INTERFERENCE!We need a MASSIVE PEACEFUL PUSHBACK right here, right now.Before the end of the day, I’m calling on ONE MILLION PRO-TRUMP Patriots to chip in and proudly say:END THE WITCH HUNT AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP!Only with your support can we STOP these people from DESTROYING our country.I know with you by my side, WE WILL WIN!Please join me today.WE...